Educational Supervision
Educational Meetings
Meetings must be held at the beginning and end of each four month post. However, if you have the same educational supervisor for the whole year, the meetings at the end of the first and second posts can be combined with the those scheduled for the beginning of posts two and three.
Meetings with your supervisor may be held mid way through a post. This provides an opportunity to modify and adjust the personal development plan (see below).
Preparing for Educational Meetings
These meetings require preparation on the part of the trainee AND the supervisor. Typically, you should expect to spend between 30 minutes and an hour for each meeting. A good supervisor will encourage you to do most of the talking (80%!).
Each meeting should be framed around three key questions:
- What are my known strengths?
- What are my particular interests?
- What areas of weakness should I be addressing?
Things to do to prepare:
Personal Development Plan
A personal development plan (PDP) is not a fixed document. It should be a dynamic and developing record of your progress through foundation training. However, at the start of each four month post, you should consider how best to use the post to develop your curricular outcomes.
Questions to ask yourself
The questions below are useful in preparing for any appraisal. You might wish to copy a blank version for your Appraiser so that they can be prepared too!
- How do you feel about your work in general at this time?
- What has encouraged you most in your work since your last appraisal?
- What has challenged you most in your work since your last appraisal?
- Since your last appraisal have you identified any areas of personal development, which would enable you to be more effective in your work?
- Do you have immediate any concerns regarding your work?
- How would you like to see your work develop?
- Are there any aspects of your work you would like to change?
- Do you feel you have any particular skills that are not being fully utilised in your work?
- What progress have you made on completing the targets set at your last appraisal?
- Are there any additional issues you would wish to raise during this appraisal?
Planning at educational meetings
A key outcome from an educational meeting should be 'what next?'
In preparing for the meeting, the emphasis will be on what has happened (past). At the meeting this review of the past helps to set the present in context, and allows SMART objectives to be set for the future.
Reflecting after educational meetings
Reflection is a core part of a doctors' professional responsibility. Regular reflection aids a doctors' development.
